Introduction

Dr. W. E. B. DuBois, in The Souls of Black Folk, writes about the oppositional conflicts in black bodies: “Two souls, two thoughts, two unrecognized strivings, and two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” DuBois' representation of the internal struggle within black bodies gave returnees the courage they needed to confront their fear over their multiple natures: one nature claiming African and American identity simultaneously; one accepting American citizenship but contemplating African citizenship at the same time; one embracing American cultural values and pondering African ethics at the same time; one feeling American and African all together; and most significantly, one living in America but romanticizing the “Motherland.” A return to Africa epitomizes DuBois' notion of double consciousness and the crisis of identity.

DuBois himself satisfied the yearning to return to the motherland when he left America in 1961 to take up Ghanaian citizenship. His home in Accra became a place of pilgrimage for black Americans and political activists who traveled to Ghana. The burial site of DuBois is like a shrine in Ghana. Historical symbols and discourses such as this continue to bolster relationships between diaspora blacks and Ghanaians in a variety of ways. The study of African American history in Ghana encompasses a wide range of themes. Returnees in Ghana and local people have expressed mutual cultural and economic interests.